Brushless electric motor system comprising a rotor, a stator and power electronic means

ABSTRACT

A brushless electric motor system having integrated power stages, said electric motor system comprising a rotor, a stator, a plurality of power stages, and a cooling system comprising a substantially flat hollow main cool body arranged to support the flowing of a cooling medium inside said hollow main cool body for cooling said main cool body, a base cooling plate connected to a first flat surface of said hollow main cool body and to said plurality of power stages for transferring heat between said plurality of power stages and said base cool plate, heat resistance inserts connected to said base cooling plate and said plurality of electrically excitable coils for transferring heat between said plurality of coils and said base cooling plate wherein said heat resistance inserts provide for a thermal conductivity, thereby creating a thermal buffer such that said electrically excitable coils are cooled less compared to said power stages, by said cooling system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/312,744 filed on Dec. 21, 2018, which has been allowed; U.S.application Ser. No. 16/312,744 is a U.S. National Stage Application ofInternational Patent Application No. PCT/EP2017/065034, filed on Jun.20, 2017, which claims priority to NL Patent Application No. 2017030,filed Jun. 23, 2016 and NL 2017031, filed Jun. 23, 2016, each of whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present invention is related to brushless electric motor systems,more specifically to brushless electric motor systems comprising astator having electrically excitable coils, and a rotor having aplurality of permanent magnets, which rotor is arranged to rotate withrespect to the stator.

In general, a brushless electric motor refers to a Direct Current, DC,motor wherein a mechanical brush and a commutator have been modifiedinto electric means. Accordingly, since such a brushless electric motordoes not generate abrasion, dust and electric noise, and has good outputand efficiency, it is appropriate for, for example, a high-speedrotation type motor, so that various researches and developments havebeen conducted on the next generation motor.

However, in case of the brushless electric motor, a rotor of a DC motor,around which coils are wound, is substituted with a permanent magnet,and a method of controlling the speed is switched from a voltage controltype into an excitation phase control type, so that a driving circuit,in the form of power control means, is required.

In general, a brushless electric motor comprises a rotor comprising aplurality of permanent magnets, and a stator comprising a plurality ofelectrically excitable coils for generating an induction field forinteraction with said plurality of permanent magnets to cause said rotorto rotate with respect to said stator.

The drawbacks of known brushless electric motors is that they are notsufficiently reliable and safe, especially when they are to be used infields like electric cars or the like.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for abrushless electric motor system which is inherently more reliable andsafe.

In order to achieve that object, the invention provides, in a firstaspect thereof, in a brushless electric motor system, comprising:

-   -   a rotor comprising a plurality of permanent magnets;    -   a stator comprising at least three groups of six teeth placed        adjacently to each other, wherein electrically excitable coils        are winded on each of said six teeth, respectively, for        generating an induction field for interaction with said        plurality of permanent magnets to cause said rotor to rotate        with respect to said stator, wherein said brushless electric        motor system is controlled using three phases (A, B, C), and        wherein each of said at least three groups of six teeth is        divided into three pairs (A.1-A.2-B.2-B.1-C.1-C.2,        A.2-A.1-B.1-B.2-C.2-C.1) of two coils, wherein the teeth in each        group are placed adjacently to each other in such a way that the        coils are ordered in A.1-A.2-B.2-B.1-C.1-C.2 or        A.2-A.1-B.1-B.2-C.2-C.1, wherein A.1-A.2 comprises two coils in        the first phase (A), and wherein B.1-B.2 comprises two coils in        the second phase (B), wherein C.1-C.2 comprises two coils in the        third phase (C), wherein A.2-A.1 comprises two coils in the        first phase (A), and wherein B.2-B.1 comprises two coils in the        second phase (B) and wherein C.2-C.1 comprises two coils in the        third phase (C),    -   at least nine power stages, such as half h-bridges, wherein each        power stage is arranged to drive a single pair (A.1-A.2,        B.1-B.2, C.1-C.2, A.2-A.1, B.2-B.1, C.2-C.1) of two coils in        such a way that an induction field of a first coil (A.1, B.1,        C.1) of said pair is directed oppositely to an induction field        of a second coil (A.2, B.2, C.2) of said pair.

It was the insight of the inventor to provide a stator with at leastthree groups of six teeth placed adjacently to each other, whereinelectrically excitable coils are winded on each of said eighteen teeth,respectively, wherein each of said at least three groups of six teeth isdivided into three pairs of two coils, wherein the teeth in each groupare placed adjacently to each other in such a way that the coils areordered in A.1-A.2-B.2-B.1-C.1-C.2 or A.2-A.1-B.1-B.2-C.2-C.1. Further,a single power stage is utilized for driving a single pair of two coils.The above accomplishes that the brushless electric motor system isinherently more reliable, safe and redundant compared to conventionalbrushless electric motor systems.

Another advantage of the brushless electric motor system according tothe present invention is that, due to above disclosed features, thepower stages, the rotor and the stator can be construed as a singleintegral part.

In accordance with the present invention, a single power stage maycomprise a half H-bridge composed of two Field Effect Transistors,wherein the output of the half H-bridge is directly connected to thepair of coils.

A brushless electric motor is also known as an electronically commutatedmotor, which is a synchronous motor that is powered by a Direct Current,DC, electric source via power stages, which produce an AC electricsignal to drive the coils and thus the motor. In this context, AC,alternating current, does not imply a sinusoidal waveform, but rather abi-directional current with no restriction on waveform. Additionalsensors and electronics eventually control the outputs of the powerstages in their amplitude, waveform and frequency, i.e. rotor speed.

The rotor comprises a plurality of permanent magnets which are eachplaced adjacently to each other along said circumference of said rotor,wherein said permanent magnets are ordered in such a way that there isan alternating order of the north and south poles facing theelectrically excitable coils. That is, for example, the first permanentmagnet produces a north pole facing the coils, the permanent magnetplaced directly adjacent thereto produces a south pole facing the coils,etc.

Based on the above, the invention comprises at least three groups of sixteeth, wherein electrically excitable coils are winded on each of thesix teeth respectively. As such, according to the invention, thebrushless electric motor system comprises at least nine pairs of twocoils. As mentioned before, each pair of two coils has its own powerstage such that the brushless electric motor system also comprises atleast nine power stages. There is thus a direct coupling between theamount of pairs of two coils and the amount of required power stages.

Further, the invention is directed to a brushless electric motor system.In accordance with the present invention, the brushless electric motorsystem may also be used as a generator for generating electrical power.The brushless electric motor system may also be used as a combined motorand generator in one.

It is noted that, in accordance with the present disclosure, the statorcomprises at least eighteen teeth and thus also eighteen electricallyexcitable coils. These at least eighteen coils are divided into at leastthree groups. The advantage hereof is that the brushless electric motorsystem is to provide power even when one of the at least three groupsbreaks down. As such, at least two groups will still function properlywhich ensures that a reduced power is still producible by the brushlesselectric motor system. As such, the concept of the present disclosure isdirected to redundancy to a certain extend. That is, the brushlesselectric motor system is able to provide power even in situationswherein one of the groups has broken down. In an example, the brushlesselectric motor system comprises:

-   -   at least one power electronic means arranged for controlling        said at least nine power stages, wherein said at least one power        electronic means comprise:        -   a first driver for driving at least two of said at least            nine power stages, wherein pair of coils in these at least            two of said at least nine power stages are in the first            phase;        -   a second driver for driving another at least two of said at            least nine power stages wherein pair of coils in these            another at least two of said at least nine power stages are            in the second phase;        -   a third driver for driving yet another at least two of said            at least nine power stages, wherein pair of coils in these            yet another at least two of said at least nine power stages            are in the third phase.

The inventor has found that, typically, only one driver is needed fordriving all the power stages having coils in the same phase. Only aminimum of three drivers are required as the brushless electric motorsystem is controlled using three phases.

In an example, each of the at least nine power stages comprises a singlehalf H-bridge for driving the pair of two coils.

An H-bridge is an electronic circuit that enables a voltage to beapplied across a load in either direction. These circuits are used indifferent types of fields to allow electric motors to run forwards andbackwards. A variation of this electronic circuit uses just the twoFET's or transistors on one side of the load, in this example the loadis a pair of two coils, similar to a class AB amplifier. Such aconfiguration is also called a “half bridge”.

A half H-bridge is a practical implementation for driving theelectrically excitable coils wounded around the teeth of the stator.

In another example, each of said two coils of a pair are connected inparallel, and wherein each of said two coils of said pair are windeddifferently:

-   -   a first coil (A.1, B.1, C.1) of said pair is winded clockwise,        and    -   a second coil (A.2, B.2, C.2) of said pair is winded        anticlockwise,

thereby accomplishing that, when actuated, a produced induction field ofa first coil (A.1, B.1, C.1) of said pair is opposite to a producedinduction field of a second coil (A.2, B.2, C.2) of said pair.

As mentioned above, coils of a particular pair are winded on teeth whichare positioned adjacently to each other along the circumference of thestator. In order to make sure that the induction fields generated by thetwo coils in a pair are oppositely directed to each other, each time apower stage drives these coils, the inventor has found that it isadvantageous if these coils are connected in parallel and that thewinding of these coils is different. This makes sure that, according tothe well known right-hand rule, the induced magnetic fields are directedoppositely.

It is noted that, in accordance with the present disclosure, each phasemay comprise at least two coils, wherein each of the adjacent coils arewinded differently. As such, each phase may comprise three, four or evenfive coils placed adjacently to each other, i.e. winded on teeth thatare adjacent to each other.

One of the advantages of the example as provided above is that, due tothe cascading of the two coils of a single pair of coils, shortconnections can be provided which reduces any losses, for example Ohmiclosses that occur due to the current flowing through the branches of thecoils. Another advantage is that effective flux paths are created onrelatively high power density.

In a further example, the stator comprises six groups of six teeth and,correspondingly, eighteen power stages, such as half h-bridges. Thestator thus comprises in total thirty-six electrically excitable coils.Each power stage is arranged to drive a single pair of two coils in sucha way that a pole of a first coil of said pair is opposite to a pole ofa second coil of said pair.

This example is advantageous as, due to the redundant implementation, itfurther improves the reliability of the system. Any electricallyexcitable coil and/or particular power stage may still break down butthe remaining, i.e. properly functioning, coils and power stages willmake sure that the brushless electric motor system will still functiondecently. That is, the brushless electric motor system may have reducedpower due to any break down in a coil or particular power stage, but thebrushless electric motor system will still function.

In another example, the system comprising three sub control units, eachoperating one power electronic means, wherein each power electronicmeans comprises:

-   -   a first driver for driving two of said eighteen power stages,        wherein pair of coils in these two power stages are in the first        phase;    -   a second driver for driving another two of said eighteen power        stages wherein pair of coils in these another two are in the        second phase;    -   a third driver for driving yet another two of said eighteen        power stages, wherein pair of coils in these yet another two        power stages are in the third phase.

The advantage of this example is that it further improves thereliability of the brushless electric motor system. Two sub controlunits can make sure that the brushless electric motor system isfunctioning properly in case one of the three sub control units breaksdown. The brushless electric motor system will then, however, functionwith a reduced power.

Here, it is preferred in case each of the sub control units comprise itsown rotor position sensor for determining a position of said rotor withrespect to said stator, as in such a case the sub control units do notrely on a single rotor position sensor for determining the position ofthe rotor with respect to the stator. In accordance with the presentinvention, a rotor position sensor is, for example, a hall sensor whichis a transducer that varies its output voltage in response to a magneticfield. Hall sensors are used for proximity switching, positioning, speeddetection, and current sensing applications.

In a further example, the rotor comprises forty-two permanent magnets.The inventor has found that the combination of forty-two permanentmagnets and thirty-six electrically excitable coils is the mostpromising implementation for a brushless electric motor system.

In yet another example, the brushless electric motor system furthercomprises a master control unit arranged for controlling said three subcontrol units based on inputs in said master control unit related to anyof speed, torque, accelerator and brake signals.

The advantage hereof is that this makes it possible to apply differenttypes of controls for controlling the groups of coils.

In a further example, the rotor comprises a solid rotatable part,wherein said permanent magnets are connected to said rotatable part insuch a way that said permanent magnets are skewed with respect to alongitudinal axis of the brushless electric motor system.

In yet another example, the outputs of said pair of two coils in a groupA.1-A.2-B.2-B.1-C.1-C.2 and/or outputs of said pair of two coils in agroup A.2-A.1-B.1-B.2-C.2-C.1 are connected to each other.

In accordance with the present invention the rotor may surround thestator such that an external rotor is obtained, but the stator may alsosurround the rotor such that an internal rotor is obtained.

In a second aspect, the invention provides in a method of operating abrushless electric motor system according to any of the examplesprovided above.

In a third aspect, the invention provides in a motorized electricalvehicle comprising a brushless electric motor system according to any ofthe examples as provided above.

Another drawback of known brushless electric motors is that they are notsufficiently reliable and safe, especially when they are to be used infields like electric cars or the like.

It is therefore another objective of the present invention to providefor a brushless electric motor system with a cooling system which ismore efficient and simpler compared to the prior art.

In order to achieve that object, the present disclosure provides, in afirst aspect thereof, in a brushless electric motor system havingintegrated power stages, said electric motor system comprising:

-   -   a rotor comprising a plurality of permanent magnets;    -   a stator comprising a plurality of teeth placed adjacently to        each other, wherein electrically excitable coils are winded on        each of said teeth, respectively, for generating an induction        field for interaction with said plurality of permanent magnets        to cause said rotor to rotate with respect to said stator,    -   a plurality of power stages, such as half H-bridges, wherein        each power stage is arranged to drive a single pair of two coils        of said coils winded on said plurality of teeth;    -   a cooling system comprising:        -   a substantially flat hollow main cool body arranged to            support the flowing of a cooling medium inside said hollow            main cool body for cooling said main cool body;        -   a base cooling plate connected to a first flat surface of            said hollow main cool body and to said plurality of power            stages for transferring heat between said plurality of power            stages and said base cool plate;        -   heat resistance inserts connected to said base cooling plate            and said plurality of electrically excitable coils for            transferring heat between said plurality of coils and said            base cooling plate,

wherein said heat resistance inserts provide for a thermal conductivity,thereby creating a thermal buffer such that said electrically excitablecoils are cooled less compared to said power stages, by said coolingsystem.

It was the insight of the inventor to provide a cooling system with asingle substantially flat hollow main cool body, which is used to coolthe electrically excitable coils as well as the power stages. As such,one cooling system is provided to cool both the electrically excitablecoils and the power stages.

The inventor noted that, typically, the operating temperature of theelectrically excitable coils is much higher compared to the operatingtemperature of the power stages. As such, in the prior, two coolingsystems are used. One cooling system for cooling the power stages andone cooling system for cooling the electrically excitable coils.

The inventor noted that having two cooling systems is not desired as insuch a case also two pumps for pumping the cooling medium, two pipingsystems for transporting the cooling medium, two cool bodies, twocooling plates, etc., are required. All these aspects require spacewhich is usually of the essence in a brushless electric motor system. Byusing a single cooling system, the weight of the electric motor system,and thus also its efficiency, is further improved.

One of the aspects of the disclosure is that heat resistance inserts areprovided between the electrically excitable coils and the base coolplate for amending the thermal conductivity between the coils and thebase plate. The advantage hereof is that the electrically excitablecoils, having a different desired operating temperature, can be cooledfrom the same main cool body as compared to the power stages. As such,using a single cooling system, the operating temperature of theelectrically excitable coils and the operating temperature of the powerstages can be controlled at the same time, even if these operatingtemperatures differ.

In accordance with the present disclosure, a single power stage maycomprise a half H-bridge composed of two Field Effect Transistors,wherein the output of the half H-bridge is directly connected to thepair of electrically excitable coils.

A brushless electric motor is also known as an electronically commutatedmotor, which is a synchronous motor that is powered by a Direct Current,DC, electric source via power stages, which produce an AC electricsignal to drive the coils and thus the motor. In this context, AC,alternating current, does not imply a sinusoidal waveform, but rather abi-directional current with no restriction on waveform. Additionalsensors and electronics eventually control the outputs of the powerstages in their amplitude, waveform and frequency, i.e. rotor speed.

The rotor typically comprises a plurality of permanent magnets which areeach placed adjacently to each other along said circumference of saidrotor, wherein said permanent magnets are ordered in such a way thatthere is an alternating order of the north and south poles facing theelectrically excitable coils. That is, for example, the first permanentmagnet produces a north pole facing the coils, the permanent magnetplaced directly adjacent thereto produces a south pole facing the coils,etc.

Further, the disclosure is directed to a brushless electric motorsystem. In accordance with the present invention, the brushless electricmotor system may also be used as a generator for generating electricalpower. The brushless electric motor system may also be used as acombined motor and generator in one.

In an example, the stator comprising said plurality of teeth has apredefined radius, wherein said heat resistance inserts are connected tosaid base cooling plate in a circular manner having a substantially samepredefined radius as said stator, wherein the number of heat resistanceinserts equals the number of electrically excitable coils, respectively.

A single heat resistance insert is thus used per electrically excitablecoil, such that each electrically excitable coil has its own insert viawhich the heat is transferred to the base cooling plate.

Here, the plurality of power stages may be connected to the base coolingplate via a surface area inside a circle spanned by said plurality ofheat resistance inserts.

As such, the power stages are situated in such a way that they arecomprised within the circle spanned by the coils, i.e. in the middle ofthe coils. This proved to be an efficient way of placing the powerstages. The advantage hereof is that the brushless electric motor systemis compact. Further, the use of a single cooling system is here evenmore beneficial as the power stages are spaced closed to theelectrically excitable coils. This makes the manufacturing of theinserts even more simple, as the cooling plate can be placed adjacent tothe power stages as well as adjacent to the electrically excitablecoils.

The concept is new and inventive compared to the prior art as in theprior art the power stages are not placed within the vicinity of thecoils, thereby making the use of a single cooling system more difficult.The inventor found that the power stages can be placed close to theelectrically excitable coils, such that the cooling plate can cool thecoils as well as the power stages at the same time. In order to get tothe coils, and to amend the amount of cooling of the coils, inserts areused which are placed against the coils as well as against the coolingplate.

In an example, the heat resistance inserts comprise solid spacing blocksof a material comprising any of aluminium, stainless steel, etc.

Here, the solid spacing blocks may be provided with through holes forreducing the thermal conductivity thereof.

The inventor has found that the type of material used for the heatresistance inserts does not need to be a thermal isolator. The keyaspect of the invention is that a thermal bridge is obtained between thecoils and the cooling plate such that the coils are cooled less comparedto the power stages. Depending on the length of the inserts and the typeof material of the inserts, different operating temperatures of thecoils can be obtained.

In another example, the substantially flat hollow main cool bodycomprises an inlet and an outlet, both provided at a second flat surfaceof said hollow main cool body, for inputting and outputting said medium,respectively.

The advantage of this example is that the risk of a leak, for examplewhen using water as a cooling medium, in the inlet or outlet will notaffect the power stages and/or electronics provided to control the powerstages as these are connected to the base cooling plate which isconnected to the main cool body at a first flat surface thereof.

The risk of water getting to the power stages and/or the electronicsprovided to control the power stages, in case of a leak in the inletand/or outlet, is thus reduced significantly in case the inlet and theoutlet are provided another flat side of the hollow main cool body ascompared to the case cooling plate.

It is noted that the inlet may be provided in substantially a centrepoint of said circle. That is, the inlet may be provided insubstantially the middle of the circle spanned by the coils/the inserts.

In a detailed example hereof, the substantially flat hollow main coolbody comprises flow channels for supporting the flow of said coolingmedium between said inlet and said outlet, wherein said flow channelsoriginate from said inlet and extend radially outwardly.

The advantage hereof is explained as follows. The cooling medium entersthe substantially flat hollow main cool body at the centre point thereofand then flows radially outwardly. This means that the cooling mediumfirst encounters the power stages as the power stages are placed withinthe circle spanned by the inserts. This is beneficial as the powerstages need to be cooled more compared to the coils, i.e. the operatingtemperature of the power stages is lower then the operating temperatureof the coils. The cooling medium will, of course, be warmed up by thepower stages to a higher temperature. This is, however, not an issue asthe warmed up cooling medium is still able to cool the coils as thecoils are operating at a higher temperature then the power stages.

It is thus advantageous in case the cooling medium first encounters thepower stages and, subsequently, encounters the coils.

The cooling system may comprise said cooling medium, wherein saidcooling medium is any of air and water.

According to the present disclosure, the cooling medium may be a gas ora liquid.

The advantage of a gas medium is that only a few components are requiredand that it is therefore very cost effective to implement. No pump,control unit, pipes and a dispensing system are required for cooling theelectric motor system. Further, there is no risk on leakage as no liquidis present in the cooling system. A further advantage is that the amountof maintenance to be performed is reduced due to the absence of movingparts in the cooling system.

The advantage of a liquid medium is that less volume, compared to agaseous medium, is required to obtain the same level of cooling. Aliquid medium is further less depending on, for example, the ambienttemperature.

In an example, the electric motor system comprises thirty-sixelectrically excitable coils and eighteen power stages.

In another example, the cooling plate is connected to said main coolbody via a pasta, wherein said base cooling plate is connected to saidplurality of power stages via a paste, wherein said heat resistanceinserts are connected to said base cooling plate via a paste and whereinsaid plurality of electrically excitable coils are connected to saidheat resistance inserts via a pasta.

In a detailed example, the base cooling plate comprises a heat sink.

In an example, each of the power stages comprises a single half H-bridgefor driving the electrically excitable coils.

An H-bridge is an electronic circuit that enables a voltage to beapplied across a load in either direction. These circuits are used indifferent types of fields to allow electric motors to run forwards andbackwards. A variation of this electronic circuit uses just the twoFET's or transistors on one side of the load, in this example the loadis a pair of two coils, similar to a class AB amplifier. Such aconfiguration is also called a “half bridge”.

A half H-bridge is a practical implementation for driving theelectrically excitable coils wounded around the teeth of the stator.

In yet another example, the rotor surrounds said stator.

In a second aspect, the disclosure provides in a method of operating abrushless electric motor system according to any of the examplesprovided above.

In a third aspect, the disclosure provides in a motorized electricalvehicle comprising a brushless electric motor system according to any ofthe examples as provided above.

The expressions, i.e. the wording, of the different aspects comprised bythe brushless electric motor system, the method and the motorizedelectrical vehicle according to the present invention should not betaken literally. The wording of the aspects is merely chosen toaccurately express the rationale behind the actual function of theaspects.

In accordance with the present invention, different aspects applicableto the above mentioned examples of the brushless electric motor system,including the advantages thereof, correspond to the aspects which areapplicable to method and/or the motorized electrical vehicle accordingto the present invention.

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the inventionwill be best understood from the following description referring to theattached drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals denoteidentical parts or parts performing an identical or comparable functionor operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a particular embodiment ofthe brushless electric motor system in an example.

FIG. 2 is a schematic figure illustrating a stator and power stages inan example.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a rotor in an example, which rotor issuitable to surround a stator shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a brushless electric motor systemaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic layout of a brushless electric motor systemaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a particular example of abrushless electric motor system 1 to be used according to the presentinvention. The actual stator and rotor of the system 1 are not shown,there aspects are shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, respectively. FIG. 1 thusdisplays the electronic circuitry including the power stages 2-7 and theelectrically excitable coils which are winded on each of the teeth ofthe stator.

According to the example shown in FIG. 1, a single master control unit18 is provided which is arranged for controlling three sub control units11, 12, 13 based on inputs 17 in said master control unit related to anyof speed, torque, accelerator and brake signals. It may be advantageousin case such a master control unit 18 is implemented in such a way thatit is capable of detecting any form of malfunctioning in the mastercontrol unit 18 itself, and, preferably, is able to repair and/orrecover from any error or malfunctioning detected. This improved thereliability and the safety aspects of the motor system 1. Thefunctionality of the master control unit 18 may also be implementedredundantly so that in case of an error or malfunctioning in a part ofthe system, the remainder of the system 1 is able to take over thecorresponding functionality thereby increasing the reliability of thesystem 1 as a whole.

The brushless electric motor system 1 further comprises three subcontrol units 11, 12, 13, each operating one power electronic means 20.Each sub control unit 11, 12, 13 is coupled to its own rotor positionsensor, not shown, via inputs 14, 15, 16, respectively, for determininga position of the rotor with respect to said stator. This aspect furtherimproves the reliability of the system 1 as a whole, as even in case oneof the rotor position sensors fails, the motor 1 is still able tofunction properly. That is, a malfunctioning in one of the rotorposition sensors will lead to a sub control unit 11, 12, 13 tomalfunction, i.e. to function improperly. As this specific motor 1comprises three sub control units 11, 12, 13, the remaining two subcontrol units 11, 12, 13, i.e. the sub control units 11, 12, 13 whichare operating properly, will make sure that the motor 1 is at leastfunctioning correctly. This does mean that the motor 1 has a reducedavailable power as one of the sub control units 11, 12, 13 is notcontributing thereto.

The rotor position sensors are typically comprised of hall sensors orrotary encoders. Rotary encoders along with their controllers could beused to exactly what the angle of the rotor is with respect to thestator. A Hall sensor is, for example, placed in an appropriateposition. It can sense if in front of it is the North or the South pole.Each of the Hall sensors will then transmit this signal to itscorresponding sub control unit 11, 12, 13. The sub control units 11, 12,13 will, subsequently, then switch on or off the appropriate drivers 8,9, 10, needed in order to provide the torque.

Each of the power electronic means 20 comprises a first driver 8 fordriving two of the eighteen power stages, i.e. the power stages referredto with reference numerals 4 and 7, and comprises a second driver 9 fordriving another two of said eighteen power stages, i.e. the power stagesreferred to with reference numerals 3 and 6, and further comprises athird driver 10 for driving yet another two of said eighteen powerstages, i.e. the power stages referred to with reference numerals 2 and5. Referring still to FIG. 1, the first driver 8 is further shown fordriving power stage with reference number 21. The second driver 9 isfurther shown for driving power stage with reference number 22. Thethird driver 10 is further shown for driving power stage with referencenumber 23.

The above is explained with reference to one of the sub control units11, i.e. only the sub control unit referred to with reference numeral11. It is to be understood that both of the other two sub control units12, 13 are coupled to a power electronic means, and that these powerelectronic means each are coupled to six power stages, etc. This adds upto a total of eighteen power stages, divided over nine drivers, threesub control units and a single master control unit. Such animplementation is beneficial for the reliability of the brushlesselectric motor system as a whole.

The power stages 2-7 and the coils which are winded around the teeth ofthe stator tend to breakdown the most. As such, the brushless electricmotor system 1 is designed in such a way that a failure occurring inthese components is not destructive for the functioning in the system 1as a whole. This is accomplished, amongst other, by the redundancyaspects of the present example.

As such, it was the insight of the inventor to couple one power stage toeach pair of coils. For example, power stage indicated with referencenumeral 7 is coupled to the pair of coils A.1, A.2 which are controlledusing the phase A.

Each power stage 2-7 comprises a half H-bridge for driving a pair ofcoils. A half H-bridge is an electronic circuit comprising twotransistors or two Field Effect Transistors, FET, which are controlledby a control signal in such a way that in case a high control signal issupplied a load is coupled to a high input voltage, and in case a lowcontrol signal is supplied the load is coupled to a low input voltage.Each of the driver 8, 9, 10 should be designed in such a way that it isnot possible to drive the half H-bridge in such a way that both of thetwo FET's are in their conductive state such that a short circuitbetween the high input voltage and the low input voltage occurs.

So, following the reasoning provided above, only one pair of coils areaffected in case a single half H-bridge, for example a particular FETthereof, breaks down. The remaining of the pairs of coils still functionproperly thereby contributing to the reliability of the system 1.

Each of the two coils of a pair are driven such that the induction fieldof a first coil A.1, B.1, C.1 of the pair is directed oppositely to aninduction field of a second coil A.2, B.2, C.2 of the pair.

This aspect may be accomplished by connecting each of the two coils of apair, for example coils referred to with reference numeral A.1 and A.2,in parallel, wherein each of the two coils of the pair are windeddifferently. That is, a first coil, for example coil referred to withreference numeral A.1, is winded clockwise and the second coil, i.e. thecoil referred to with reference numeral A.2, is winded anticlockwise.This accomplishes that, when the half H-bridge 7 drives the coils A.1and A.2, the produced induction fields of these two coils are oppositelydirected. Effectively, a magnetic north pole and a magnetic south poleare created in such a way.

In this example the coils are placed adjacently to each other in theorder of A.1-A.2-B.2-B.1-C.1-C.2 or A.2-A.1-B.1-B.2-C.2-C.1. Here, thenumber following the letter A, B or C indicates the direction of themagnetic induction field. So, coils referred to with letters having asame number produce a magnetic induction field in the same direction.This means that, when actuated, the coil A.2 produces a magneticinduction field in the same direction as the coils B.2 and C.2.Accordingly, when actuated, the coil A.1 produces a magnetic inductionfield in the same direction as the coils B.1 and C.1.

Further, the rotor comprises permanent magnets which have either amagnetic north pole or a magnetic south pole directed to the coils ofthe stator. The permanent magnets are oriented in such a way themagnetic poles are alternately ordered, i.e. first a magnetic north poledirected to the coils, then a magnetic south pole directed to the coils,then again a magnetic north pole directed to the coils, etc. The aboveensures that the rotor rotates smoothly with respect to the stator.

The outputs of the coils in each group of three pairs of coils 19 areconnected to each other in order to further improve the reliability ofthe system 1.

Based on the above, the brushless electric motor system 1 comprisesthirty-six electrically excitable coils winded on the teeth of thestator, and forty-two permanent magnets comprised by the rotor.

FIG. 2 is a schematic figure illustrating a stator 51 and combined powerstages, i.e. referred to with reference H, according to the presentexample.

In this particular example, the stator 51 is designed in such a way thata rotor is to surround the stator 51. The stator 51 comprises aplurality of teeth 52, wherein electrically excitable coils are windedon each of those teeth 52. Here, the stator 51 comprises exactlythirty-six teeth 52, divided in to six groups 53 of six teeth 52 each.The groups, and thus also the teeth 52 comprised by the groups 53, areplaced, i.e. oriented, adjacently to each other along a circumference ofthe rotor 51. The electrically excitable coils, i.e. the ones referredto with references A.1-A.2-B.2-B.1-C.1-C.2 or A.2-A.1-B.1-B.2-C.2-C.1,are to generate magnetic induction fields for interaction with aplurality of permanent magnets comprised by the rotor (not shown). Thiscauses the rotor to rotate with respect to the stator 51.

The teeth 52 may comprise a magnetic core for enhancing the producedmagnetic field. The shape of any tooth 52 is such that a magnetic fieldproduced by a coil winded on such a tooth 52 is directed radially withrespect to an inner axis of the stator 51, i.e. towards the permanentmagnets comprised by the rotor.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a rotor 81 according to the presentexample, which rotor 81 is suitable to surround a stator shown in FIG.2. Here, the rotor comprises forty-two recesses 82, which recesses 82are used to accommodate the permanent magnets (not shown). The recessesare spaced 83 with respect to each other such that the magnets do not,or minimally, influence each other. The stator 51 of FIG. 2 is to beplaced inside the rotor 81 shown in FIG. 3. The rotor 81 is furtherrotatably mounted to the stator 51 such that the rotor 81 is able torotate with respect to the stator 51.

In accordance with the present example, the rotor 81 may also beimplemented as a shaft or the like, wherein the stator 51 surround therotor 81.

FIG. 4 is a schematic layout of a brushless electric motor systemaccording to the present disclosure.

Here, a brushless electric motor system 101 having integrated powerstages is shown. The invention is displayed as a schematic diagram as toexplain the functionality. The actual stator and rotor of the system 101are not shown.

The electric motor system comprise a rotor comprising a plurality ofpermanent magnets and a stator comprising a plurality of teeth placedadjacently to each other, wherein electrically excitable coils arewinded on each of said teeth, respectively, for generating an inductionfield for interaction with said plurality of permanent magnets to causesaid rotor to rotate with respect to said stator.

Further, a plurality of power stages 106, such as half H-bridges, areprovided, wherein each power stage is arranged to drive a single pair oftwo coils of said coils winded on said plurality of teeth. In thepresent example, the electric motor system 101 comprises thirtysixelectrically excitable coils, eighteen power stages 106, wherein eachpower stage comprises a single H-bridge and thus two Metal OxideSemiconductor, MOS, Field Effect Transistor's, FETs. It are theseMOSFET's that need to be cooled efficiently by the cooling systemaccording to the present invention.

In FIG. 4 is the cooling system shown, which comprises a substantiallyflat hollow main cool body 110 arranged to support the flowing of acooling medium inside said hollow main cool body for cooling said maincool body, a base cooling plate 108 connected to a first flat surface ofsaid hollow main cool body and to said plurality of power stages fortransferring heat between said plurality of power stages and said basecool plate, heat resistance inserts 104 connected to said base coolingplate and said plurality of electrically excitable coils 102 fortransferring heat between said plurality of coils and said base coolingplate 108,

The heat resistance inserts 104 provide for a thermal conductivity,thereby creating a thermal buffer such that said electrically excitablecoils 102 are cooled less compared to said power stages 106, by saidcooling system.

In the present example, the cooling medium is of a temperature close toabout 50 degrees Celsius. The operating temperature of the MOSFET's isabout 60 degrees Celsius. The MOSFET's are directly connected to thebase cooling plate 108 in order to obtain sufficient cooling for theMOSFET's to their operating temperature. The operating temperature ofthe coils is about 90 degrees Celsius, i.e. much higher compared to theoperating temperature of the MOSFET's. As such, the inventor has foundto provide inserts 104 between the coils 102 and the base cooling plate108, such that a single cooling system can be used for cooling theMOSFET's to about 60 degrees Celsius and the coils 102 to about 90degrees Celsius. The inserts 104 thus provide for a thermalconductivity, thereby creating a thermal buffer such that theelectrically excitable coils 102 are cooled less compared to the powerstages 106, by the cooling system.

Pasta's 103, 105, 109, 107 may be used to connect each of the abovementioned elements firmly to each other, such that heat transfer betweenthese elements is improved.

FIG. 5 is a schematic layout of a brushless electric motor system 201according to the present invention. Here, the hollow main cool body 202,the base cooling plate 204, the heat resistance inserts 203, theelectrically excitable coils 206, the power stages 205 are indicated ina layout position so that it is clear how the elements are oriented withrespect to each other.

The power stages 205, i.e. the MOSFET's as indicated above, are placedon a printed circuit board, PCB, 209, which further comprises thecontrol logic for controlling the MOSFET's. The coils 206 are winded onthe teeth 210 of the stator for generating an induction field forinteraction with the plurality of permanent magnets 208 to cause therotor to rotate with respect to the stator.

CLAUSES

Clause 1. A brushless electric motor system having integrated powerstages, said electric motor system comprising:

-   -   a rotor comprising a plurality of permanent magnets;    -   a stator comprising a plurality of teeth placed adjacently to        each other, wherein electrically excitable coils are winded on        each of said teeth, respectively, for generating an induction        field for interaction with said plurality of permanent magnets        to cause said rotor to rotate with respect to said stator,    -   a plurality of power stages, such as half H-bridges, wherein        each power stage is arranged to drive a single pair of two coils        of said coils winded on said plurality of teeth;    -   a cooling system comprising:        -   a substantially flat hollow main cool body arranged to            support the flowing of a cooling medium inside said hollow            main cool body for cooling said main cool body;        -   a base cooling plate connected to a first flat surface of            said hollow main cool body and to said plurality of power            stages for transferring heat between said plurality of power            stages and said base cool plate;        -   heat resistance inserts connected to said base cooling plate            and said plurality of electrically excitable coils for            transferring heat between said plurality of coils and said            base cooling plate,

wherein said heat resistance inserts provide for a thermal conductivity,thereby creating a thermal buffer such that said electrically excitablecoils are cooled less compared to said power stages, by said coolingsystem.

Clause 2. A brushless electric motor system according to clause 1,wherein said stator comprising said plurality of teeth has a predefinedradius, wherein said heat resistance inserts are connected to said basecooling plate in a circular manner having a substantially samepredefined radius as said stator, wherein the number of heat resistanceinserts equals the number of electrically excitable coils, respectively.Clause 3. A brushless electric motor system according to clause 2,wherein said plurality of power stages are connected to the base coolingplate via a surface area inside a circle spanned by said plurality ofheat resistance inserts.Clause 4. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said heat resistance inserts comprise solidspacing blocks of a material comprising any of aluminium and stainlesssteel.Clause 5. A brushless electric motor system according to clause 4,wherein said solid spacing blocks are provided with through holes forreducing the thermal conductivity thereof.Clause 6. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said substantially flat hollow main cool bodycomprises an inlet and an outlet, both provided at a second flat surfaceof said hollow main cool body, for inputting and outputting said medium,respectively.Clause 7. A brushless electric motor system according to clause 6 and 3,wherein said inlet is provided in substantially a centre point of saidcircle.Clause 8. A brushless electric motor system according to clause 7,wherein said substantially flat hollow main cool body comprises flowchannels for supporting the flow of said cooling medium between saidinlet and said outlet, wherein said flow channels originate from saidinlet and extend radially outwardly.Clause 9. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said cooling system comprises said coolingmedium, wherein said cooling medium is any of air and water.Clause 10. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said electric motor system comprisesthirty-six electrically excitable coils and eighteen power stages.Clause 11. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said base cooling plate is connected to saidmain cool body via a pasta, wherein said base cooling plate is connectedto said plurality of power stages via a paste, wherein said heatresistance inserts are connected to said base cooling plate via a pasteand wherein said plurality of electrically excitable coils are connectedto said heat resistance inserts via a pasta.Clause 12. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said base cooling plate comprises a heat sink.Clause 13. A brushless electric motor system according to any of theprevious clauses, wherein said rotor surrounds said stator.Clause 14. A method of operating a brushless electric motor systemaccording to any of the previous clauses.Clause 15. A motorized electrical vehicle comprising a brushlesselectric motor system according to any of the clauses 1-13.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, the clausesand/or the examples as disclosed above, and can be modified and enhancedby those skilled in the art beyond the scope of the present invention asdisclosed in the appended claims without having to apply inventiveskills.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A brushless electric motor system havingintegrated power stages, said electric motor system comprising: a rotorcomprising a plurality of permanent magnets; a stator comprising aplurality of teeth placed adjacently to each other, wherein electricallyexcitable coils are winded on each of said teeth, respectively, forgenerating an induction field for interaction with said plurality ofpermanent magnets to cause said rotor to rotate with respect to saidstator, a plurality of power stages, wherein each power stage isarranged to drive a single pair of two coils of said coils winded onsaid plurality of teeth; a cooling system comprising: a substantiallyflat hollow main cool body arranged to support the flowing of a coolingmedium inside said hollow main cool body for cooling said main coolbody; a base cooling plate connected to a first flat surface of saidhollow main cool body and to said plurality of power stages fortransferring heat between said plurality of power stages and said basecool plate; heat resistance inserts connected to said base cooling plateand said plurality of electrically excitable coils for transferring heatbetween said plurality of coils and said base cooling plate, whereinsaid heat resistance inserts provide for a thermal conductivity, therebycreating a thermal buffer such that said electrically excitable coilsare cooled less compared to said power stages, by said cooling system.2. The brushless electric motor system according to claim 1, whereinsaid stator comprising said plurality of teeth has a predefined radius,wherein said heat resistance inserts are connected to said base coolingplate in a circular manner having a substantially same predefined radiusas said stator, wherein the number of heat resistance inserts equals thenumber of electrically excitable coils, respectively.
 3. The brushlesselectric motor system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality ofpower stages is connected to the base cooling plate via a surface areainside a circle spanned by said plurality of heat resistance inserts. 4.The brushless electric motor system according to claim 1, wherein saidheat resistance inserts comprise solid spacing blocks of a materialcomprising aluminum or stainless steel.
 5. The brushless electric motorsystem according to claim 4, wherein said solid spacing blocks areprovided with through holes for reducing the thermal conductivitythereof.
 6. The brushless electric motor system according to claim 1,wherein said substantially flat hollow main cool body comprises an inletand an outlet, both provided at a second flat surface of said hollowmain cool body, for inputting and outputting said medium, respectively.7. The brushless electric motor system according to claim 6, whereinsaid inlet is provided in substantially a center point of said circle.8. The brushless electric motor system according to claim 7, whereinsaid substantially flat hollow main cool body comprises flow channelsfor supporting the flow of said cooling medium between said inlet andsaid outlet, wherein said flow channels originate from said inlet andextend radially outwardly.
 9. The brushless electric motor systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said cooling system comprises said coolingmedium, wherein said cooling medium is air or water.
 10. The brushlesselectric motor system according to claim 1, wherein said electric motorsystem comprises thirty-six electrically excitable coils and eighteenpower stages.
 11. The brushless electric motor system according to claim1, wherein said base cooling plate is connected to said main cool bodyvia a pasta, said base cooling plate being connected to said pluralityof power stages via a paste, wherein said heat resistance inserts areconnected to said base cooling plate via a paste and wherein saidplurality of electrically excitable coils is connected to said heatresistance inserts via a pasta.
 12. The brushless electric motor systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said base cooling plate comprises a heatsink.
 13. The brushless electric motor system according to claim 1,wherein said rotor surrounds said stator.
 14. The brushless electricmotor system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of powerstages are half H-bridges.
 15. A method of operating a brushlesselectric motor system according to claim
 1. 16. A motorized electricalvehicle comprising a brushless electric motor system according to claim1.